Railway-track construction



H. ETHERIDGE Feb. 28, 1928.

RAILWAY. TRACK CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 10, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR %&W,

I H. ETHERIDGE RAILWAY TRACK CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug. 10, 1927 INVENTOR i Patented Feb, 28, l92.'

HARRY ETHERIDGE; or VZELIEN'OPLE BOROUGH, rEnNsYLvAnIAL RAILWAY-TRACK consTRUcrIoN."

' Application filed August 10, 1927. seria1'no.ai' 1,e02. V

VMore particularly, my presentinvention relates to railway track construction which includes the use of individual rail supports which do not span the space between the parallel rails of the track nor support both of the parallel rails thereof, as do the cross ties now in common use.

It is recognized in the railway track'art pears in the use of the individual rail supports, as it does also when cross-ties are a so used, andshould be counteracted.

For this-purpose I have invented the cruciform rail supports which form the subject matter of my application for Letters Patentfiledin the United States Patent .Oflice on November-11, 1926, Serial Number 147,634 v v i In the use of these supports actual service I have discovered a tendency toward an outward shifting of, the supports relative to the axis of the tracks whichienerts tensionstrains onrthe tie-rods which arej usuallyprovided to hold the rails inparallelism.

- I have therefore made a further improve- "ment in my cruclform ra l supports whlch prevents such outward shifting and causes the strains which tend to causethesame-to be assumed by theballast orroad bed.

I prefer to providemy cruciform rail support with a larger bearing area on the inside of therail as the roll ngor t pping forces which are exerted-toward the "axis of the track are greater than those exertediin the opposite direction. I'also provide an improved metallic crete or other material of whichI form my rail support.

Other novel features of construction; and also of arrangement of parts, Wlll appear from the following description.

f Inthe accompanying drawings, wherein I have illustrated the best embodimentofthe principles of my invention now known to me, Fig. 1 is a plan view showing'my improved rail supports in use to support the parallel rails. of a track; Fig. 2 is an en- 'gitudinally of the rail to rolling of the rail is the greater. e To counteract. the tendency, already rerail support I to be: thrust rein 'forc'ement which is embedded in the conlarged planviewiof one of said supports,

Fig, 3 is a side elevation of the support better illustration the two part mat being partially broken away for thejsake of looking from the axis of the t1*ack; Fig.4

is an end view of the support, andFigf 5 shows in enlarged perspective the metal skeleton which is embedded the support to reinforce the latter. f

Referring to the drawings, land 1? represent the parallel rails of the track, each i supported from beneath'by' the individual rail supports 2, said opposite supports be mg unconnected with each other and being embedded in the ballast. t i

- The supports 2 are-substantiallyform, the longitudinal leg orbeam 8 being the rail supporting memberiextending lon v providean extended support for the latter. i I

in material of V The twotransversely disposed legs 4"and I 5 which extend inwardly toward the axis of the track and outwardly inv the opposite direction, respectively, asshown in Fig. l,

are the outer t and innerr stabilizinglegs.

The inner stabilizing vleg 4 is preferably givena larger bearing area on theiballast or road bed as 'the tendency toward inward ferred to, of the outwardly awayfrom the axis of. the track,

form the inner stabilizing'leg 4 of such" 7 shape that it will bind in the ballast and re the saidleg of what may be termed fishtail shape so that will be wedged in the ballastiand will thus anchor the rail support p against outward. movement.- v r 7 The leg 4 has preferably about one-and (One-half e g area. on the road-bed thattheleg s ag, v a a The top surfa'cesof the 1egs;4 and 5 are preferably at a lowerlevel than that of the longitudinal beam 3 and the top edges of the supportar-e preferablybeveled as shown.

. 165 r v Thus the support maybe more easily nested in and more securely anchored to the ballastQ v The rail does not rest directly on the beam 3 as the result would be the direct trans ferenceof the jars and thrusts of traffic from the rail to the body ofth'e support. "To prevent this, provide the upper surt.

I .face of the beam 3 with a sunken seat 6 of rail.

rect contact with the beam 3.

slightlyg'reater Width than the base of the rail and extending along said beam to near .each end thereof. In saidseat Icmount a cushion means which directly supports the prises an under mat 7 which lies in the bottom of the seat 6 and an upper mat 8 which rests on the mat 7 and protrudes upwardly out of the seat. 'The mats are-both preferably made of resilient material, such as rubber, asphalt composition and the like, or a V combination thereof, the under mat being the more elastic than the upper mat.

The combined thickness of the mats is'suflicient to prevent the rail being depressed into diemployed to I prefer to Any convenient means may be fasten the rail to the support.

employ rail fastening means of the character described and showni-n Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,586,617, issued to ineiJune l, 1926, and'in the drawings, I

. thereto.

1 bars, each of therbottom together at their show the screw sockets 9 which are anchored and embedded in'the material of the rail support at either side of'the seat '6 and adjacent either end of said seat, the fastener bolts being screwed down into said sockets as will more clearly appear from said Let: ters Patent.

' The metallic reinforcement which I vpref erablyemploy to reinforce the concrete from which I preferably form my improved rail support is shown unembeddedin Fig. '5, and

v tical posts 13 which are welded or otherwise secured at their ends. I

l I l f'represents a pair of upper parallel bars which are disposed at substantially right angles'to the bars 10 and cross beneath-and in contact with the same and are welded or otherwise secured thereto. 15 represents a 7 similar pair of lower parallel bars also parallel with the bars 1e and which cross over and are in contact with the bars 11 and are welded or otherwise secured to the latter. The ends of the bars" 1 1 are'connecte'd by the cross bars 16which contact with the under-v sides of the bars 14 and are welded or otherwise secured thereto. Also the en'd's'of the bars 15 are connected by the cross bars 17 which contact with the lower surfaces of the vlatter and are welded or otherwise secured thereto. .The bars 14 at the inner side of the support have also an extra'connecting Said cushion means preferably. corn-' secured-to fore the skeleton is embedded in the con The ends of the lower bars 211 are connected to the cross-bars 12 by the vering legs extending "supports for gles to the cross-bar 18', and the bars 15 an extra cross bar 19 to further brace the inner stabilizing leg of the rail support. Posts 20 have their lower ends stepped on the bars 15 and their upper ends abutting against the under surfacesof the cross-bars 16, the ends of the posts being welded or otherwise secured in v place.

Additional posts 21 are interposed between the intermediate cross-bar 13 and the bars 15' with their ends welded or otherwlse secured in place. r

Also posts, 22 are interposed between the bars 14 and 15 where they intersect with the bars 10 and 11, respectively.

The two central bars 10 are so positionedas to extend longitudinally of the beam 3 beneath the seat 6 and I edge of the same, and are located close to the floor of said seat to directly assume the thrusts-and jolts incident to traffic on the rails, a relatively thin coveringof concrete being provided, suficient to protect the metal from oxidizing. Thus the metal reinfor'cement efiectually relieves the concrete and prevents its rupture, crushing or fracture.

adj acent to each lateral c The outer bars 10 and .11 are positioned adjacent to the bases of the stabilizing legs t and .5, and thus prevent fracture or cracking "longitudinally of the rail supporting beam 3.

formed by the two inner bars 10 and their cross bars 12 and are welded or otherwise saldbars and-to the posts 13 becrete. Thus thestrains exerted" on the rail and assumed bythe reinforcement, thereby further protecting the concrete from-injury.

a 'WhatI-desire to claim is 1. Ina railway track structure, the combination with the parallel rails, of individual.

supports for the opposite rails of substantiallycruciform shape and eachcomprising The sockets-9 are positioned in thecorners I 'fastening devices are transferred directly to a beam extending lo ngitudinallyunder the rail for the support thereofand two stabilizat substantially right an-' gles to the-beam, the inner'stabilizing' leg being shaped to become wedged in the ballast 'to resist movement outwardly of the track. r

2. In a railway. track structure, the com- V bination with the parallel rails, of individual i 7 tially 0111611 01111 shape and each comprising "a beam extending longitudinally .under the rail for the support thereof and two stabilizthe opposite rails of substaning legs extending at substantially right an: 3 I

be wedged in the ballast outwardly of the track. 1 3. In arailway track bination with the parallel rails, of individual beam, the inner stabiliz'ing1eg' having a laterally enlarged free end so. as to against movement structure, the com-' supports for the opposite rails of substantially cruciform shapeand each comprising a beam extending longitudinally under the rail for the support thereof and two stabilizing legs extending at substantially right angles to the beam, thev inner stabilizing leg. having its lateral edges diverging toward its free end to Wedge the leg in the ballast against movement outwardly of the track.

4. In combination with an individual rail support of concrete and of cruciform shape having a rail-supporting beam extending longitudinally beneath the rail and stabilizing legs extending in opposite directions and substantially at right angles to the beam, of an embedded reinforcement for said support of cruciform shape and formed of metalbars, the reinforcement for-the beam comprising two sets of four parallel bars, one set being disposed above'the other and the corresponding bars of each set being connectt ed by verticalposts and the ends of the, bars of the second named sets being connected by cross-bars, the barsbeing connected together at their meeting points.

. 5. In combination with an individual rail cruciform shape having a rail-supporting beam extending support of concrete and of longitudinally beneath therail and stabilizing legs extending in opposite directions and substantially at right angles to the beam, of an embedded reinforcement for said support of cruciform shape and formed of metal bars, the reinforcementfor the beam comprising two sets of four parallel bars, one

set being disposed above the other andithe corresponding .bars of each set being connected by verticalposts, and cross-bars connecting ends of the bars of a set, two" sets and intersecting the same, the corresponding bars of the second named sets being connected by vertical posts and the ends of the bars of the second, named sets being connected by cross-bars, the bars being-connect,

ed together at their meeting points, and vertical supporting posts at the intersections of the sets.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa. t-his'8th day of August, 1927. i

a HARRY ETHER IDGE.

of parallel bars spaced apart vertically dise posed transversely of the first mentioned sets 

